Towards Understanding the Significance of Religion for Jihadi Violent Non-State Actors

Within the international relations and political science literature about violent non-state actors claiming inspiration from the Islamic faith (frequently referred to as "jihadists"), there is a debate about whether religious ideas are a causal factor in motivating people toward the use of violence. Scholars representing the dominant view in the field argue that religious ideas are not a significant causal factor, and that religious rhetoric is often a post hoc justification for violence, yet these assertions are made in an ad hoc way, without systematic evaluation. This dissertation provides a framework to test one set of assumptions underlying those arguments in cases of "homegrown" terrorism in the U.S. and U.K., meaning individuals for whom Western countries are either their primary cultural reference or else the place where they first turned toward embracing jihadist ideals. Homegrown terrorism is seen as increasingly important by both practitioners and academics. Former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano described homegrown terrorism as "one of the most striking elements of today's threat picture.".;The dissertation proposes a framework for understanding the religiosity of individuals who undertook jihadist violence, arguing that the best way to understand this factor is objectively measurable behavior that occurs prior to the acts of violence, and hence sheds light on what researchers call the "radicalization process." The dissertation presents five behavioral manifestations tied to salafist religious practice: adhering to a highly legalistic interpretation of Islam; trusting only core salafi jihadist scholars; perceiving an irreconcilable schism between Islam and the West; manifesting a low tolerance for perceived theological deviance; and attempting to impose one's religious beliefs on others. The dissertation uses this framework to examine five individual and group case studies.;In four of the five case studies examined, the dissertation finds significant evidence of salafi jihadist religiosity prior to the individual or group's turn to violence. It argues that the application of the framework to these case studies demonstrates that the framework is capable of discerning religiosity in the cases explored. In some cases, it was able to discern religiosity where all informed observers recognize that it was present, and in other cases it was able to speak to salafi jihadist religiosity in cases where no such general consensus has emerged.;Though correlation does not prove causation, the dissertation concludes that the case studies examined open up more space for the discussion of religious ideas as a causal force for jihadist terrorists. Indeed, it appears that religious ideas had been unfairly marginalized in this sphere as a possible causal factor---a bias against recognizing religion's relevance that can be discerned elsewhere in the social sciences as well.